Stone cove at Stanton Drew 25m south west of St Mary's Church

Overview

Heritage Category: Scheduled Monument

List Entry Number: 1007916

Date first listed: 18-Aug-1882

Date of most recent amendment: 09-Sep-1994

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

National Grid Reference: ST 59750 63100

Summary

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Reasons for Designation

Stone coves are square or rectangular arrangements, usually with a large standing stone on each of three sides and the fourth side open. As at Stanton Drew, they are generally associated with large stone circles and associated features such as henges and avenues. Where excavated they have been found to date from the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age periods. Their function is not yet fully understood although their associations tend to suggest a ritual purpose. There are currently nine stone coves positively identified in England and all are associated with other related forms of prehistoric ritual monuments. As a rare monument type which provides an insight into prehistoric ritual activity, all surviving examples are worthy of preservation.

History

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Details

The monument includes `The Cove', a closely-spaced group of three standing stones, situated 25m south west of St Mary's Church on a low ridge overlooking dry valleys to the south and west. One of the three stones has now fallen. The stones vary in size between 1.5m and 3m high, and between 2.1m and 2.9m wide. The fallen stone is 4.3m long, although part of this would originally have been buried. Together, the three stones enclose an area with dimensions of 3m from east to west and 4m from north to south. The cove forms part of the Stanton Drew complex which includes associated stone circles and avenues. The monument has been in State care since 1883. Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts relating to property boundaries, although the underlying ground is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number: 22862

Legacy System: RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, The Stanton Drew Stone Circles and associated monuments, (1985), 2

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.